When opera singer Riley Williams agrees to sub as a musical-theater performer on a luxury Rhine/Moselle riverboat cruise, she gets more than she bargained for. Not only must she come up with 250 Broadway songs, she is required to dance with the male passengers. Dance—the subject she nearly failed in her Conservatory courses, and the cause of her recent flop in a European Opera House. To make matters worse, she overhears two terrorists at a café in Antwerp, Belgium, discussing the transfer of deadly agent X to the highest bioterrorist bidders.
Interpol agent Jacob Coulter, an anti-terrorism desk analyst in Brussels, Belgium, insists on serving as an undercover agent after his best friend Noel is murdered by terrorists from the Brussels cell he infiltrates. Shortly before Noel dies, he manages to tell Jacob snippets of the terrorists’ plans. Plans that seem to involve the same riverboat cruise Riley is on. When Interpol learns of Riley’s encounter with terrorists, Jacob’s supervisor insists he work with her to identify the terrorists and retrieve agent X. But their relationship is fraught with distrust because of Riley’s suspicious past and a romantic attraction neither of them wants.
Sara L. Jameson won Scrivenings Press’s grand prize publishing contract in January 2021. They released her debut romantic suspense novel, Cruise to Death, in June 2021. Death in High Places, (Book 2 in the Troubled Waters series), released February 2023, followed by Vengeance in Vienna, July 2024.
In real life, Sara is a multi-published, former university professor who writes non-fiction under her real name and edits book manuscripts for other authors. She also pens WWII historical novels. When not at her computer, she enjoys reading, swimming, cooking, dog-sitting, and spending time with friends.
More from Sara
For someone who loves to swim and enjoys cruising on a ship as long as land is in sight, a European riverboat cruise solved my anxiety. Cruise to Death was conceived during a Uniworld cruise that originated in Antwerp, Belgium, where my family had lived twenty-fives years prior and fallen in love with the country.
But the lack of security on the cruise concerned me. Especially when our ship docked parallel to another cruise line, and all passengers passed through the other boat to disembark and re-embark without staff scrutiny. Perfect place for someone not on your cruise to hide, right?
Perfect fodder for a romantic suspense novel. Add in a pickpocket who craftily robbed a family member, and a budding novelist determined the crime wouldn’t go unremembered. You know those writers’ T-shirts warning you whatever you say and do might end up in a novel—sometimes it’s true.
Part of the fun writing this story was a chance to retrace the stops along the Rhine and Moselle rivers and stay in settings that appear in the novel. If you have a chance to take a riverboat cruise, I highly recommend it!
My Impressions
“Yes, she’d lied. Something she’d been brought up not to do, something she knew was wrong. A sin she’d have to bring before the Lord. But she’d do anything to protect Jacob.”
I enjoyed this light, romantic suspense novel by Sarah L. Jameson. Cruise to Death explores the betrayal of an Interpol agent and his best friend, Jacob’s, vow to find the leaked link. It also explores the experience of an opera singer, Riley, who subsequently for her sick friend on a European river cruise. Unfortunately, Riley overheard a terrorist plot and spends the cruise trying to help Jacob and Interpol uncover the terrorists. Terrorists suspects are great at disguise, and tensions are high as nearly all passengers on the cruise are closely monitored. Evidence suggests that Riley may be part of the plot. If safety precautions are in short supply, so is the trust factor. Will Riley and Jacob figure out who can be trusted? Better yet, will they put trust in God above their promises to themselves?
I was happy to see Jacob working in his cover professional as waiter. Jameson convincingly has him on job often, as well as portraying Riley onstage singing or (ouch!) dancing. So often in cozies, the main characters forget their jobs in favor of sleuthing.
I enjoyed the many pop culture references to TV shows and stars. One such involved a true quote we can all learn from: “Lone Rangers didn’t win the war, teamwork did. Teamwork between the military and civilians. Female civilians.” This is Riley’s response when Jacob tries to leave her out of sleuthing. We can all learn to accept help, rather than trying to go it alone.
Full of non-stop action, suspects, suspicions, danger, twists, and some truth revelations, Cruise to Death is an enjoyable read.
I received a copy of the book from Celebrate Lit. I also bought my own copy. No positive review was required, and all opinions are my own.
Notable Quotables:
“One thing you learn as a singer—never play the what if game.”– Riley
“Relationships are built on trust.” “And forgiveness.” -Riley, Jacob
“All her life she’d done what she wanted to do, what others wanted her to do. Not once had she asked God what He wanted for her.”
“Everyone needed a rescuer.” – Riley
My Rating
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Excellent! I’m happy to recommend this suspense novel.
This K-9 team is trained to eliminate threats. This threat could eliminate them.
Being a loner is getting old. Jazz Lamont still can’t fit in at the Phoenix K-9 Agency, and she’s losing her best friend. At least providing security with her K-9 partner at the Tri-City Fair will mean revisiting the only place where she once belonged. But a series of accidents threatens her beloved fair and puts lives at risk.
Thriller author Hawthorne Emerson suspects foul play after the first “accident.” Moonlighting as fair security to investigate the death of his sister’s boyfriend, he’s eager to find the truth. He doesn’t expect the task to lead him to the cult he escaped.
Finding the culprit behind the sabotage is personal for Jazz and Hawthorne. But someone else has a personal stake, too. Someone who wants Jazz dead. When everything she thought was true is dismantled, can Jazz risk trusting others—including God—to survive?
Jerusha Agenimagines danger around every corner but knows God is there, too. So naturally, she writes romantic suspense infused with the hope of salvation in Jesus Christ. Jerusha loves to hang out with her big furry dogs and little furry cats, often while reading or watching movies.
More from Jerusha
THE DANGER OF COLORED GLASSES
Have you ever felt left out? Maybe someone you care about never accepts you or loves you, no matter how much you try to please that person?
One would think Jazz Lamont, the heroine of Lethal Danger, would never have experienced such feelings. After all, she’s a beautiful security agent who trounces bad guys without breaking a sweat, doesn’t fear danger, and has an incredible K-9 partner. She was chosen to join the elite Phoenix K-9 Security and Detection Agency, which means she’s one of the best in a dangerous, challenging line of work.
But though she doesn’t bat an eye when she faces threats and bad guys, Jazz is far from confident when it comes to social interactions. Thanks to a series of rejections in her childhood, Jazz is pretty sure most people won’t like her or want to accept her. So far, her life seems to be proving that assumption true.
As I discovered Jazz’s character while writing Lethal Danger, I was intrigued by how much her fear of rejection colored her point of view of basically everything. Sometimes, a comment that a gal on the Phoenix K-9 Team made would seem like a put-down to Jazz, though I knew as the author that the other agent hadn’t meant the remark that way.
Noticing Jazz’s tendency to see everything through rejection-colored glasses made me take a hard look at myself. What fears of my own are skewing how I see and receive things?
Is my desire for approval making me misinterpret others’ remarks as critical when they aren’t intended as such? Do my insecurities make me misconstrue or internalize social media posts or friends’ jokes? Perhaps my worries about finances or dangers to my physical safety make me see hazards where there aren’t any or avoid doing what the Lord wants me to.
How about you? Have you thought about the harmful ways in which your experiences, fears, and vulnerabilities might be coloring the glasses through which you view life?
Let’s all take stock together and then bring those burdens to Jesus Christ. He’ll remind us that the only point of view that matters, the only one that is accurate, is His. And He’ll help us begin to see the world through His perfect eyes.
My Impressions
“It was so-called worldly entertainment and included on the very long, unwritten list of activities and choices banned by the cult. Or, more specifically, by Desmond Patch, founder and leader of the Best Life cult. Destroyer of families. Thief of lives.”
Wow! What a fast-moving thrill ride Lethal Danger is! Penned by the talented Jerusha Agen, it’s the fourth book in the Guardians Unleashed series, a set of books about a K-9 female protection team. The Tri-City fair in MN is a second home to Phoenix security guard Jazz LaMont. Growing up without her marine dad around much, often shunted off on an aunt and uncle who barely tolerated her, Jazz is looking for true friends and love.
We also meet security personnel Hawthorne Emerson, famous crime writer and, in this case, crime investigator. Emerson grew up in the nearby cult, Best Life, which he and eventually his younger sister Rebekah leave. The cult is blamed for a fair accident where Emerson and Jazz meet in a daring rescue. Can dreamy Hawthorne and beautiful, multi-talented Jazz team up together to protect the fair and its visitors before the increasing accidents force its closure? Don’t get whiplash from the great twists!
The danger starts quickly in this book and doesn’t let up until the finale. I loved being able to see the Malinois, German shepherds, and other trained dogs in action! So impressive!
I really liked that the hero and heroine have so much going for them, yet both have some very big flaws to overcome. For Jazz, the rejection in her background causes her to feel slighted and unliked by those around her… even when she could have the belonging and love she longs for, she refuses to let others close. Her best friend, Nevaeh asks, “Have you ever thought that maybe you put up walls with people?” … “Like maybe you’re afraid they’ll reject you, so you reject them first.”
Hawthorne Emerson, too, has much going for him. He escaped the cult, he is a nationally-known best-selling author, he is swoony, and he can investigate and rescue with the best. Plus, he is a believer, like the rest of Jazz’s team. (Jazz thinks Christianity is for weak people.) However, Hawthorne’s past affects him, too. He took orders from the cult at one time and will never again let someone control him. “He’d made a god out of freedom—his freedom, his wants, his desires. And his love of independence and freedom had only grown since he’d left the cult.” A recipe for hurt!
Don’t miss this exciting romantic suspense! I certainly want to be sure I’ve read all the books in this series, to learn about each security agent and her dog!
I received a copy of the book from Celebrate Lit. I also bought my own copy. No positive review was required, and all opinions are my own.
Notable Quotables:
“I didn’t want to be reconciled to God and forgiven of my sins until God changed me from the inside out. He had to change me so I could begin to want what I hadn’t known I most needed.”– Hawthorne
“Because I want to have God’s Word hidden in my heart, so that I know what is true and what is not. So that I have His comfort and promises with me wherever I go. I never want to forget that He loves me or forget the proof that He loves me.”- Cora, on why she memorizes Scripture
“Evil and lies are often most convincing when they masquerade as poor imitations of the truth.”– Hawthorne
My Rating
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Superior! Great action, very relatable character flaws, great twists!
To celebrate her tour, Jerusha is giving away the grand prize of a signed paperback copy of Lethal Danger, $25 Barnes and Noble gift card, Lethal Danger tote bag, magnet, notebook, and keychain!!
Be sure to comment on the blog stops for extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter.
In a town shrouded by secrets, a photographer and the reclusive heir of the Ballentine fortune join forces to unravel a deadly conspiracy.
Brooklynn Wright must win a photography contest to save her gallery, and the perfect sunrise shot at a remote inlet north of town is her best hope. But when she witnesses a smuggling operation at a hidden dock and is chased by armed men, her dreams of artistic glory become a nightmare flight for survival. Rescued by a mysterious stranger, Brooklynn is forced to take refuge with him in an abandoned mansion the townspeople claim is cursed—afraid to trust her grumpy protector but with no other choice.
Billionaire Forbes Ballentine returned to Shadow Cove for answers, not distractions. Haunted by the unsolved murder of his family twenty years ago, he’s spent his life in the shadows, hunting for the truth. He believes the network Brooklynn stumbled upon is tied to his family’s deaths, but protecting the cheerful photographer means jeopardizing the investigation he’s been chasing for decades. Especially when her presence stirs feelings he’s not prepared to face.
As Brooklynn and Forbes grow closer, so do the network’s ruthless enforcers. With everyone in town hiding something, they must navigate lies, betrayal, and deadly truths. When the network closes in, they’ll have to trust each other completely—or lose everything.
Dive into this gripping romantic suspense full of mystery, secrets, and danger, where two broken souls must uncover the truth while battling the enemies outside—and the wounds within.
Robin Patchenis a USA Today bestselling and award-winning author of Christian romantic suspense. She grew up in a small town in New Hampshire, the setting of her Coventry Saga books, and then headed to Boston to earn a journalism degree. Working in marketing, she discovered how much she loathed the nine-to-five ball and chain. After relocating to the Southwest, she started writing her first novel while homeschooling her three children. The novel was dreadful, but her passion for storytelling didn’t wane. Thankfully, as her children grew, so did her writing ability. Now that her kids are adults, she has more time to play with the lives of fictional heroes and heroines, wreaking havoc and working magic to give her characters happy endings. When she’s not writing, she’s editing or reading, proving that most of her life revolves around the twenty-six letters of the alphabet. Visit robinpatchen.com/subscribe to receive a free book and stay informed about Robin’s latest projects.
More from Robin
A Mansion on the Maine Coast: The Perfect Setting for Capturing You
There’s something about old mansions that gets my imagination racing. Maybe it’s the grandeur, or the hint that secrets hide behind their towering windows. Or maybe it’s knowing that, once upon a time, entire lives were lived there.
When I first envisioned Capturing You, I knew the story needed a setting as breathtaking—and as mysterious—as the characters themselves. So I plucked inspiration from my visits to the coast of New Hampshire. I can’t help but admire the stunning mansions overlooking the Atlantic between Hampton Beach—a touristy strip filled with arcades and restaurants—and Rye, a quiet coastal community. I love to imagine the lives lived inside those walls and the histories written into their very foundations.
Naturally, when it came time to write Brooklynn and Forbes’s story, I borrowed from those daydreams.
In Capturing You, the eighteenth-century cliffside mansion functions as more than just a setting. It’s a character in its own right. Crumbling a bit with age, it stands guard over a small, secluded cove on the coast of Maine. The old home is a place of secret hiding places, bittersweet memories, and…because, you know, it’s a Robin Patchen novel…more than its share of danger. The Ballentine Mansion is the perfect backdrop for a story about a photographer who accidentally stumbles onto something she shouldn’t have seen—and a brooding recluse determined to keep her safe.
In the story, I hope you hear the waves pounding against the rocky shore, smell the salt in the air, and feel the ancient wood floors creaking beneath your feet. I hope you’ll find wonder in the whimsical spaces created by the original architect. And I hope you’ll experience nostalgia in a home that hasn’t had a family fill its halls with laughter in a generation.
Step right into that world with me—a world of danger and romance, courage and redemption, all wrapped up in a mansion that’s seen more than its share of joy and heartache. And maybe a little healing too.
I can’t wait for you to explore all its secrets with Brooklynn and Forbes.
Capturing You is available now. Immerse yourself in a fascinating mansion—and a suspenseful romance that’ll keep you reading all night long.
My Impressions
“There was only one thing Forbes wanted, one thing he’d lived for since he was eight years old. Justice.”
I have truly enjoyed The Wright Heroes of Maine romantic suspense series by Robin Patchen. In most of the previous books, we have seen Michael, Sam, Derrick, and others family members tackle huge intrigue challenges, often overseas. Now, in book six, Capturing You, and book five, we have moved on to their cousins’ family. Capturing You is unique so far in that the enemy is much closer to home.
Brooklynn Wright desperately wants to win the local photography contest. Free publicity for her struggling photography studio in town would be a boon, and she also badly wants to show her father she is competent in her field. Gavin Wright and others seem to see only fluff and lightweight when they see Brooklynn.
Unfortunately, Brooklynn’s great curiosity (which Ford Baker, identified as the handyman at the local mansion) would call a propensity to snoop. Brooklynn’s inquisitiveness turn her desire for the perfect photo into a run for her life on a Maine shore. Knowing she will be caught and probably killed, she is surprised to be rescued by Baker.
Afraid of her new protector, afraid of the men chasing her, knowing she can’t go home, Brooklynn doesn’t know what her next step is. But she does know, unlike Ford, that “God always made a way. All her life, He’d guided her. And He wouldn’t stop today. He was her protector, after all. Her strong tower. Her fortress.”
Ford is using an alias he’s had since childhood, when his parents and sister were murdered in their Shadow Cove mansion. Life has made him grumpy, pessimistic, quiet, and suspicious. When he starts to get to know Brooklynn, who is sweet, optimistic, talkative, and trusting, he finds himself wanting to protect her.
Ford and Brooklynn eventually begin to work together, but the trust is slow and fragile. Gradually, clues are uncovered which reveal a truth the two suspected: someone they know is behind the murderous game of cat-and- mouse. “She used to think of her town as one big family. Now it felt more like a spiderweb, everyone connected to everyone else, the silky fibers hidden until they trapped the innocent.”
I was in a race against the novel as I read, as if my figuring out the mystery before it was revealed could save their lives! Patchen’s characters certainly were alive for me! Fortunately, Brooklynn and Ford did not require my skills. Patchen threw in some twists that left me off the mark. Can Brooklynn and Ford discover who was behind the heinous crime 25 years ago and what connection there is to the smugglers today? Can Ford decide God does indeed care about him, despite the past?
You will not want to miss a book of this series! I would suggest reading these in order, although the book probably could stand alone.
I received a copy of the book from Celebrate Lit. I also bought my own copy. No positive review is required, and all opinions are my own.
Notable Quotables:
“There’s no shame in knowing who you are, who God created you to be.”– Ford
“She needn’t worry. She only needed to ask Him to open the doors she was meant to walk through. To pray that His will would be done. It was a prayer He loved to answer.”
“Sticking your head in the sand isn’t a plan.”– Ford
“It seemed her grouchy friend was a lot like this old mansion. A little rough on the outside, but filled with beauty. And secrets.”
My Rating
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Magnificent! This is a romantic suspense series I am greatly enjoying! I am here for every book!
Title: Fire Mountain Series: Elements of Danger #1 Author: Dana Mentink Publisher: Revell Release Date: July 1, 2025 Genre: Mystery & Romantic Suspense
Fire rains from above as they fight to discover the truth and stay alive.
In the shadow of a threatening volcano, long-haul trucker Kit Garrido wakes up in her crashed big rig, unable to recall what happened or why she’s suddenly in possession of someone’s baby. Fiercely independent, she has to admit that perhaps this time she could use a little help.
As the threat of eruption grows, former cop Cullen Landry refuses to leave his cabin in the evacuation area, which is why he’s the only one left who can help Kit escape the crumpled cab of her truck. He doesn’t want to get tangled up in the mystery of the beautiful woman with an abandoned infant, but when he sees the bullet hole in the windshield and the bloody handprint on the interior, he realizes that he’s in this thing, like it or not.
When two armed men with ill intent approach, the race is on to stay alive, discover the truth, and find the baby’s missing mother–all while a deadly mountain rains fire from above.
Dana Mentink is a USA Today and Publishers Weekly bestselling author. She’s written more than 50 mystery and suspense novels for Love Inspired Suspense, Harvest House, and Poisoned Pen Press. Winner of two ACFW Carol Awards, a Holt Medallion Award, and a Romantic Times Reviewer’s Choice Award, Dana lives in Northern California with her husband.
Connect with Dana by visiting DanaMentink.com to follow her on social media or subscribe to email newsletter updates.
Excerpt
COLD AND ICE-PICK PAIN bored into Kit Garrido’s temples. Her limbs were leaden, her body a deadweight in the driver’s seat of her big rig. Grit coated her tongue and teeth. She tasted blood. Try as she might, she couldn’t reach out to unbuckle her seat belt. Panic bubbled up in-side her.
She felt movement. Someone yanked hard on the pas- senger door, unleashing pulses of pain.
“Ma’am?” A low baritone, rough.
A big hand skimmed her temple, calloused fingers hard like talons. Through her slitted eyelids, a male torso mate- rialized, a large man in a heavy jacket. Warm ash drifted from his baseball cap and settled on her cheek, featherlight.
“What . . . happened?” Her voice was a croak.
“You crashed.” His voice held the trace of a Southern accent. “Volcano’s unsettled everything. Not safe to stay here.”
Not safe? Crashed? Why wouldn’t her mouth work fast enough to spit out the questions? Fear lapped at her insides as he fumbled for her seat belt.
“You’ve got to wake up. Now.”
She forced her eyes farther open, grabbed the wheel. Cold wind raked her cheek. Wind? She lurched into full consciousness so fast her brain rocked in her skull. Green. Everywhere green mixed with brown, the trees of north- ern Washington all around, the rattling pine needles oddly muted by their coating of volcanic ash. A pine cone dropped on her lap through the gaping hole in the windshield. It left a sooty stain on her knee before it bounced off. She stared at it.
How . . .
He was talking, but she couldn’t follow.
She touched her brown ski cap, then the flannel of her favorite long-haul driving jacket, the feel of the fabrics proving to herself she was alive. Somehow. A hiss of es- caping steam commanded her to acknowledge what she desperately didn’t want to see.
Her beautiful Freightliner truck was wedged cab first, jammed in a crevice between two crooked trees. In the side- view mirror she observed an enormous trench of gouged earth that marked her journey from the road above to the place of impact. The shiny yellow cab with its cozy sleep- ing unit, her home for three-hundred-plus days a year, was squashed like the face of a Pekinese. The pristine white trailer she’d washed that morning was no doubt damaged as well. She closed her eyes and pictured the bold font she’d painstakingly chosen for the Garrido Trucking logo. How absurdly proud she’d felt the day the lettering was applied. Her truck. Her business. Her life. Finally.
Muscles in her throat tightened, and tears started down her face.
Crashed. She’d crashed. Everything she’d worked for, gone. The pain in her head intensified. She stared around wildly. “But what happened? How did I wreck?”
The man shrugged. “Dunno. I’m not sure why you’d even be on Pine Hollow Road in the first place. Pretty ridiculous, considering.”
Ridiculous? She bridled as the location sank in. Pine Hollow? Why there? Deep breaths. One, two, three, then she unbuckled and levered herself from the driver’s seat. Pain lanced her left wrist. Broken or sprained? Her shirt was splattered with blood, though she couldn’t feel any cuts.
“Easy,” the man said, arms outstretched as if to catch her.
Why couldn’t she remember what happened? She must have rolled out of her small office solo that morning, like she always did before picking up her load, the last load she dared haul out of a region under an evacuation advisory. She wouldn’t have chosen Pine Hollow, a twisty route that would take her nearer the volatile Mount Ember. Every- thing she’d learned, the geologic facts she’d devoured, left her itching to escape. Had she lost control? Maybe she’d been knocked out by a falling boulder. Had the noxious gasses venting from the volcano’s bulging side overwhelmed her? But why here?
The cold infiltrated her torn jacket, numbing her arms. Faraway, she heard the distant rumble of thunder or maybe another earthquake from the mountain preparing to blow. No sounds of vehicles, sirens, people. Eerie. Terrifying.
Her thoughts were muddy, slow. Get help. She patted her pockets in a futile search for her cell. Gone somewhere.
The satellite radio was her next choice until she realized it had been pierced by the branch that neatly skewered the windshield. Her throat went dry. A few inches to the left and it would have impaled her too. Ruined also was the precious old-school CB she’d rebuilt, which would have instantly connected her with a fellow trucker.
The man was still staring at her. He straightened and leaned closer. “Are you hurt badly? I can carry you.”
She couldn’t make herself answer, so he went on. “Your radio’s crushed, I see. My cell phone has no bars down here. Where’s your phone?”
She jammed her knit cap on tighter. Hurt or not, she wouldn’t let any stranger control the conversation, espe- cially not in her rig. “I’ll find it.”
He shook his head. “You rest a minute. I’m gonna hop out and make sure your truck’s not on fire or anything.” He muscled his way back out the passenger door, the metal protesting with a bloodcurdling shriek.
She didn’t see any sign of his vehicle through the filthy glass. Where had he come from? There were no helpful locals out and about under the present circumstances. Nerves tightened in her stomach. A trucker alone with cargo was vulnerable, a female trucker even more so.
Protect yourself. She fumbled for the crowbar, but the seat was collapsed on top of it. Instead she yanked the fire extinguisher loose, which made her head feel like it was going to detonate. Best she could do. She eased closer to the fractured passenger window.
The ground was a moonscape of ash and debris. The man eased along, a palm on the cab for support, and she got another chance to examine him. Long legs, cowboy boots, flannel shirt, Yankees baseball cap, and a scar—she hadn’t noticed that before. It bisected his left eyebrow. He disappeared around the other side of the rig before return- ing a few moments later. The closer he got, the taller he was, probably six four and muscled. More than a match for her five-foot-five, hundred-ten-pound frame. The fear resurged. Protect yourself.
The extinguisher cut into her clenched palm. He drew close enough to the open passenger door for her to catch the light brown of his eyes, almost translucent like smoke. When he tried to climb aboard, she raised the extinguisher. “Where did you come from?”
His lips quirked. “Originally? South Carolina.” That explained the drawl. “I meant . . .”
“I know what you meant.” He shot a look at the ravaged landscape before he turned back. “Top of the ridge. My cabin’s up there. I was on my roof and I saw you go over the shoulder. I was surprised six ways to Sunday. Didn’t even hear you coming because the wind was howl- ing, and I sure didn’t expect any rigs to be in this area. Anyway, I hightailed it here in my truck. It’s parked up a ways.”
“I don’t know you.” A silly remark.
“Don’t know you either. You from around here?” She wouldn’t tell him where she lived.
“Close.”
He pointed to the fire extinguisher and heaved out a breath. “Are you going to clobber me with that or not? I promise it’s not necessary.” He held up his palms. How does anyone have fingers that long? “You need first aid before we get out of here, and I’m the only one here to give it to you whether you like it or not.” He plucked the kit from the pocket in the door and wiggled it at her. “You’re bleeding.”
“I don’t need first aid.”
He said something in reply, but his words seemed to come from far away, a rushing sound drowning them out as dizziness overcame her.
The extinguisher dropped to the floor, and she sank onto the driver’s seat while he climbed in and slammed the pas- senger door. A wave of nausea enveloped her. Hastily he dumped out the first aid kit and shoved the container under her chin as she wretched. He handed her a clean handker- chief from his pocket with a neat C embroidered on it.
She stared at the precisely folded, pristine cloth.
His cheeks pinked. “I know. No one carries these things anymore. Mama insists, and she sends me a box of ’em every Christmas.” He looked intently at her. “I’m fairly certain you have yourself a concussion.”
“Not a family, not them. Just . . . united strangers. ‘I know you aren’t a blood family, but people can be put together in unexpected ways.’”Archie
I wanted to check my blood pressure. It had to be high. After finishing Dana Mentink’s Fire Mountain romantic suspense novel, I felt so in tune with the characters, I thought I had run from men who built their money on exploitation. I was nearly sure I was trying desperately to escape a rumbling volcano. I lost myself in the drama, intrigue, baby care, and natural disaster unfolding in the book. So artfully told, I’ll never forget.
An everyman and everywoman hero. That’s what Cullen and Kit are. An ex-policeman, who can’t recover from his last call, and is now a horse rancher. A proud, independent, truck driver whose immediate memory is gone. Why is there a 9-month-old baby in her care? Kit knows nothing about babies. Worse, why is she headed back into the evacuation zone of Mt. Ember, threatening to blow her top? ( Do you either remember Mt. St. Helens or remember learning about her in school?) Since we were nearly across the nation, yet our summer weather was affected for months, I could only imagine how horrifying it would be to be in the danger zone! Plus, while injured, with baby in tow, Kit and Cullen discover someone is after them with deadly weapons!
Fortunately for the reader, Mentink has a great sense of humor. When I thought I would explode myself because of the building suspense, Mentink would insert levity. It might be trading witty lines between Cullen and Kit, or it might involve Archie, a crusty former Marine who had refused to leave his home on the mountain.
I loved Archie’s character! He is an enigma to be sure! Rough and gruff, yet “grandpa” with the baby.
In some ways, this book reads like a nightmare. Just when you think Kit and Cullen might be safe, either the mountain creates terror or Nico and Simon are hot on their trail again. However, Fire Mountain has embers of hope, where romance, character strength, and faith shine through.
One faith message is that of forgiveness. Kit has struggled with the absence of forgiveness in her past. Plus, she has a past she’s not proud of. “God forgives you for all that, Kit,”says Cullen.
“You’re not credible to say that though, are you?”…”Because you don’t believe what you say, deep down. You don’t live like it anyway,” Kit retorts. Ouch!
I find it interesting that Kit compares two sides of unforgiveness to equating oneself to God. “If a person can’t accept forgiveness themselves, or refuses to give it to someone else, it puts them in the place of God, doesn’t it?” Just in case it sounds like there is a lot of headtime in this book, let me say there are snatches. They are sandwiched between the desperate and the good times, perfectly placed to stimulate thinking, without losing the quick pace of this breathtaking story.
I received a copy of the book from the author and publisher through Just Reads and Netgalley. I also bought my own copy. No positive review was required, and all opinions are my own.
Notable Quotables:
“There’s your plan, and God’s plan, and yours doesn’t count.”– Kit’s father
“Rose- colored glasses aren’t going to keep us from dying.” “I prefer to attribute it to experience. I’ve seen God do plenty of miracles, so why not another one here and now?”– Kit, Cullen
“loving someone was one thing. Living it out was altogether different…”
“This moment, these days, his life, would be over when God said so. Not a moment before.”
My Rating
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Superior! I am having a bit of trouble remembering that I was NOT a part of this spectacular drama! I won’t soon forget it!
Tour Giveaway
(1) winner will receive a copy of Fire Mountain and a $20 Amazon gift card!
Be sure to check out each stop on the tour for more chances to win. Full tour schedule linked below. Giveaway began at midnight July 9, 2025 and lasts through 11:59 PM EST on July 16, 2025. Winner will be notified within 2 weeks of close of the giveaway and given 48 hours to respond or risk forfeiture of prize. US only. Void where prohibited by law or logistics.
In a town shrouded by secrets, a photographer and the reclusive heir of the Ballentine fortune join forces to unravel a deadly conspiracy.
Brooklynn Wright must win a photography contest to save her gallery, and the perfect sunrise shot at a remote inlet north of town is her best hope. But when she witnesses a smuggling operation at a hidden dock and is chased by armed men, her dreams of artistic glory become a nightmare flight for survival. Rescued by a mysterious stranger, Brooklynn is forced to take refuge with him in an abandoned mansion the townspeople claim is cursed—afraid to trust her grumpy protector but with no other choice.
Billionaire Forbes Ballentine returned to Shadow Cove for answers, not distractions. Haunted by the unsolved murder of his family twenty years ago, he’s spent his life in the shadows, hunting for the truth. He believes the network Brooklynn stumbled upon is tied to his family’s deaths, but protecting the cheerful photographer means jeopardizing the investigation he’s been chasing for decades. Especially when her presence stirs feelings he’s not prepared to face.
As Brooklynn and Forbes grow closer, so do the network’s ruthless enforcers. With everyone in town hiding something, they must navigate lies, betrayal, and deadly truths. When the network closes in, they’ll have to trust each other completely—or lose everything.
Dive into this gripping romantic suspense full of mystery, secrets, and danger, where two broken souls must uncover the truth while battling the enemies outside—and the wounds within.
Robin Patchen is a USA Today bestselling and award-winning author of Christian romantic suspense. She grew up in a small town in New Hampshire, the setting of her Nutfield Saga books, and then headed to Boston to earn a journalism degree. After college, working in marketing and public relations, she discovered how much she loathed the nine-to-five ball-and-chain. After relocating to the Southwest, she started writing her first novel while she homeschooled her three children. The novel was dreadful, but her passion for storytelling didn’t wane. Thankfully, as her children grew, so did her writing ability. Now that her kids are adults, she has more time to play with the lives of fictional heroes and heroines, wreaking havoc and working magic to give her characters happy endings. When she’s not writing, she’s editing or reading, proving most of her life revolves around the twenty-six letters of the alphabet.
“There was only one thing Forbes wanted, one thing he’d lived for since he was eight years old. Justice.”
I have truly enjoyed The Wright Heroes of Maine romantic suspense series by Robin Patchen. In most of the previous books, we have seen Michael, Sam, Derrick, and others family members tackle huge intrigue challenges, often overseas. Now, in book six, Capturing You, and book five, we have moved on to their cousins’ family. Capturing You is unique so far in that the enemy is much closer to home.
Brooklynn Wright desperately wants to win the local photography contest. Free publicity for her struggling photography studio in town would be a boon, and she also badly wants to show her father she is competent in her field. Gavin Wright and others seem to see only fluff and lightweight when they see Brooklynn.
Unfortunately, Brooklynn’s great curiosity (which Ford Baker, identified as the handyman at the local mansion) would call a propensity to snoop. Brooklynn’s inquisitiveness turn her desire for the perfect photo into a run for her life on a Maine shore. Knowing she will be caught and probably killed, she is surprised to be rescued by Baker.
Afraid of her new protector, afraid of the men chasing her, knowing she can’t go home, Brooklynn doesn’t know what her next step is. But she does know, unlike Ford, that “God always made a way. All her life, He’d guided her. And He wouldn’t stop today. He was her protector, after all. Her strong tower. Her fortress.”
Ford is using an alias he’s had since childhood, when his parents and sister were murdered in their Shadow Cove mansion. Life has made him grumpy, pessimistic, quiet, and suspicious. When he starts to get to know Brooklynn, who is sweet, optimistic, talkative, and trusting, he finds himself wanting to protect her.
Ford and Brooklynn eventually begin to work together, but the trust is slow and fragile. Gradually, clues are uncovered which reveal a truth the two suspected: someone they know is behind the murderous game of cat-and- mouse. “She used to think of her town as one big family. Now it felt more like a spiderweb, everyone connected to everyone else, the silky fibers hidden until they trapped the innocent.”
I was in a race against the novel as I read, as if my figuring out the mystery before it was revealed could save their lives! Patchen’s characters certainly were alive for me! Fortunately, Brooklynn and Ford did not require my skills. Patchen threw in some twists that left me off the mark. Can Brooklynn and Ford discover who was behind the heinous crime 25 years ago and what connection there is to the smugglers today? Can Ford decide God does indeed care about him, despite the past?
You will not want to miss a book of this series! I would suggest reading these in order, although the book probably could stand alone.
I received a copy of the book from JustRead Tours. I also bought my own copy. No positive review is required, and all opinions are my own.
Notable Quotables:
“There’s no shame in knowing who you are, who God created you to be.”– Ford
“She needn’t worry. She only needed to ask Him to open the doors she was meant to walk through. To pray that His will would be done. It was a prayer He loved to answer.”
“Sticking your head in the sand isn’t a plan.”- Ford
“It seemed her grouchy friend was a lot like this old mansion. A little rough on the outside, but filled with beauty. And secrets.”
My Rating
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Magnificent! Patchen’s books are first-class, taut, faith-filled romantic suspense but pass on the grit and gore.
Book: Following the Clues (Security Hounds Investigations Book Four)
Author: Dana Mentink
Genre: Inspirational Romantic Suspense
Release date: May 27, 2024
A search-and-rescue mission reveals a lethal secret.
After K-9 handler Kara Wolfe witnesses her childhood friend Beau O’Connor survive a targeted hit-and-run, she’s shocked to learn his mother’s missing. And Beau, who can no longer recognize familiar faces after an earlier attack, can’t shake the feeling these terrifying incidents are somehow connected. With the tracking skills of her blind bloodhound, Kara will help Beau locate his mother—but someone will do anything to sabotage their search. With the culprit on their trail, can they uncover a sinister plot…before their rescue mission turns into a fight for survival?
Dana Mentink is a USA Today and Publisher’s Weekly bestselling author as well as a two-time American Christian Fiction Writers Carol Award winner, and a Holt Medallion winner. She is the author of over fifty titles in the suspense and lighthearted romance genres. She is pleased to write for Harlequin’s Love Inspired Suspense, Revell and Poisoned Pen Press.
More from Dana
The only thing more fun that writing about bloodhounds, is adding in some colorful new canine characters who aren’t quite your standard tracking champions. In this book, you’ll get to know Phil who was introduced at the end of book #3. He’s a livestock protector who steps in as a guide for Millie the bloodhound when her vision becomes impaired. Phil takes his job VERY seriously. He flat out refuses to wear a vest, or play with toys, and he doesn’t particularly like people, but he will lay his life down to protect Millie and Kara Wolfe. It was so much fun having this unlikely hero rise to the challenge as Kara and her ex-boyfriend must root out a saboteur on the local fish hatchery property. The secret they unearth will shock you, I hope! Please enjoy the adventure with Millie, Phil, and the rest of the Wolfe pack!
My Impressions
“Once upon a time we were dear friends, and no matter what’s happened, I’m going to act like we still are until you come around.”
So this is now my fave Security Hounds novel by Dana Mentink so far! Book 4 of this series, Following the Clues is everything I’ve come to expect from a LIS Mentink book about tracking bloodhounds, and then some!
To begin with, let’s talk about the obvious: the bloodhounds. Each bloodhound in this series is a great SAR tracker for the Wolfe family’s venture. Each hound has a significantly odd trait, and is trained by a different sibling, whom we get to know as a main character in the novel. The trainer in this story is Kara, a young woman whose fiancé died of cancer and whose other friend, Beau O’ Connor, deserted her when she needed him most. The basis for this book just cracks me up, though, because I never would have thought such a thing possible. Millie, the bloodhound doing the sniff searching, is almost blind, so she has her own seeing-eye dog, a white Anatolian shepherd. “The dream team.”
Unfortunately, when Beau does return back home, Kara discovers the injury he received several months earlier has drastically changed him. He has been medically discharged from the marines and has a rare condition known as “prosopagnosia” or “face blindness.” Unable to recognize people he’s known his whole life, even family, Beau retreats into himself. His mother verbally confronts him: “sooner or later you’ve got to put whatever happened behind you. Marines don’t run, do they?”
Beau becomes very concerned when he returns home to find his mother missing. He contacts the sheriff, who contacts the SAR team, the Wolfe family, who together with Kara have to begin to understand why Beau has been treating them like absolute strangers. Once Beau’s secret is out, I am impressed by the different methods and hard work he employs to recognize people more quickly without using the method most of us take for granted!
Time is always of the essence in a search and rescue operation, and Mentink causes the reader to feel the desperation in the erosion of time as Beau, Kara, the other Wolfes, and neighbors of Ree O’Connor’s ( Beau’s mom) fish hatchery search for her. Lots of action, lots of danger, lots of breath-holding! Mentink makes the setting real by sharing details of running a hatchery, some issues that could cause trouble, and a big event the hatchery holds, Pioneer Day.
While there are a handful of workers and neighbors who should all be supporting the hatchery and Ree, we are set up to wonder about a few! Was I surprised to find out who was behind the sabotage!! Great twist! Such an exciting story!
I appreciated the growth of the two main characters. Beau’s growth comes as he admits his disability and finds ways to circumvent it. Also, as he begins to realize he can be honest about his feelings. I love that Mentink shows that given time, Kara, grieving her fiancé’s loss, can also remember the good times with a smile. Because of my faith, this is where I am with some present grief, and where I hope to be in future grief!!
I also loved the fact that through her pain of loss, Kara has learned lessons that affect her relationship moving forward with her family and with Beau. She isn’t complacent anymore, letting others care for her. She has learned to speak up for her needs. “But God showed me that I could stand up to it…I had a reservoir of strength I’d not realized because I’d never had to tap into it. When I did, God added His strength to my pittance, and it was enough. I was enough.”
In summary, this is a great romantic suspense search and rescue team story, but it is so much more! Mentink has two more books left in this series. Can she top this one?!
I received a copy of the book from Celebrate Lit. I also purchased my own copy. No positive review was required, and all opinions are my own.
Notable Quotables:
“But life wasn’t a safe adventure at all, she’d learned. And hiding from risk wasn’t what the Lord wanted from her.”
“The only reason he was able to face the day was that he knew God loved him, no matter what the status of his brain.”
“God made people to stand together in their pain. Sometimes it was the only way to stand at all.” – Kara
“In the midst of the storm, He was there, like He’d always been, that steady pulse of comfort. God would still recognize Beau…even in this new state of disarray he found himself.”
My Rating
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Best in Show ( I mean Series) so Far! True Winner!!
Book: Shadowed Secret (Mirror Estate Series Book 5)
Author: S.F. Baumgartner
Genre: Christian Suspense Thriller
Release date: May 13, 2025
In a world of secrets and shadows, a priest, two accountants, and an elite task force must protect what’s hidden or risk it all.
Fr. Phil, a former Navy SEAL turned priest, finds his quiet life at Mirror Estate shattered when a priest from the Vatican pays him a visit. Asked to retrieve a secret book before it’s auctioned on the dark web, Fr. Phil must face lethal adversaries and race against time, knowing his life is on the line.
Tommy Rivers’s date with Mia Granger turns deadly when they’re attacked upon discovering a colleague murdered at the office. Assuming they have the book, ruthless operatives have Tommy and Mia in their sights.
With the exposure of the secret book threatening the lives of countless operatives, Fr. Phil, Tommy, Mia, and an elite FBI task force must prevent a catastrophic intelligence leak before time runs out.
S.F. Baumgartner crafts fast-paced Christian suspense thrillers, weaving tales of complex characters, secretive operatives, and relentless agents. Her gripping storytelling has earned acclaim, with Living Secrets—Book 1 of her Mirror Estate series—named a Top Pick in the thriller category at Killer Nashville, 2024. When she’s not plotting her next twist, she’s binge-watching crime TV shows, like NCIS or playing with her cats. Fans of James Patterson’s style, especially those who appreciate short, punchy chapters, will find much to love in her work.
More from S.F.
Unraveling Secrets: The Journey of Writing This Book
Some books come together effortlessly. Others take their time, demanding patience, persistence, and more rewrites than I care to admit. This latest installment falls firmly into the latter category. The story simply didn’t gel the first couple of times I attempted to write it. I knew where it needed to go, but the journey to get there felt off. Characters resisted the paths I initially set for them, subplots unraveled at the seams, and the pacing never quite clicked the way I wanted it to.
It took several drafts and a fair amount of frustration before things finally started falling into place. Looking back, I realize that part of the struggle was that this book needed to do more than just continue the story—it had to weave together past threads while setting the stage for what’s to come. That’s a delicate balance, and it wasn’t something I could rush.
Why I Wrote This Book
The simplest answer? It’s the next chapter in the story. After everything that has happened in previous installments, there were lingering questions that needed answers, loose ends that needed to be tied up—or, in some cases, unraveled even further.
This story is about Fr. Phil. He’s no longer just the priest of Mirror Estate’s chapel; he’s once again being pulled into the shadows of his past. Old alliances resurface, and new threats emerge. At the same time, Olivia and Simon’s upcoming wedding adds a deeply personal layer to the story. In many ways, this book is about past decisions catching up with the present—whether in matters of faith, espionage, or personal relationships.
And then there’s the Ghost. Marge Beaumont remains as enigmatic as ever, and while she’s playing by the rules—for now—it’s clear she’s still ten steps ahead of everyone. The question isn’t just whether she can be trusted, but whether anyone can truly outmaneuver her.
The Challenge of Getting It Right
What made this book particularly challenging was the complexity of the narrative threads. There’s a missing book that may or may not contain dangerous secrets. There’s an auction on the dark web that threatens national security. There’s a decades-old mystery involving hidden treasure. And, of course, there’s the ever-present undercurrent of trust and betrayal—who’s telling the truth, who’s working an angle, and who’s about to make their next move?
Balancing these elements while keeping the pacing tight and the stakes high took longer than expected. Some subplots had to be reworked entirely, others had to be trimmed down, and a few surprises emerged that even I didn’t see coming in the early drafts.
What’s Next?
Now that this book is finally complete, I can say with confidence that the struggle was worth it. The twists, the revelations, and the character moments that emerged from this process have made it stronger than I initially imagined.
For readers who have been following this series, I hope you enjoy the ride. Expect high stakes, hidden agendas, and a few moments that might just leave you breathless. And as always, thank you for sticking with me on this journey—because the story is far from over.
My Impressions
“It was about discernment. About seeing beneath surfaces. About understanding that even the holiest façades could conceal the darkest intentions.”
Just how often can you come in on a thrilling psychological series in the middle or end, yet not feel totally befuddled? Kudos to author S.F. Baumgartner, author of Shadowed Secret, Book 5 of Mirror Estate Series!! I was fit to be tied when I discovered I was reading a new-to-me author, a psychological mystery that definitely builds book to book, and I was coming in fresh on book 5 , a 500 page book at that. Plus, the list of characters is enough to make your head spin!!
But Baumgartner is a writing wizard!! She starts out Shadowed Secret with a recap of each of the previous books! Not only that, but the books are a tangle of relationship connections- and at the FRONT of the book are several pages of relationship maps. Often, if there is such a thing, it is relegated to the back, and what help is that then?! Plus, a map of the estate. Now, I’m only left with two objections to reading the book: a massive 500 pages and how on earth am I going to keep so many different people’s story threads clear in my head?!
Again, Baumgartner has done her due diligence in editing her book, pulling making sure all threads tie together. And she does so in such a thrilling, compelling way, I couldn’t put the book down until 1:30 am. Because of clear, concise wording, and short sentences and chapters, one can speed through the book. And you will be so anxious to follow the thrills and chills you will need to!
As I mentioned, I put down the book at 1:30 am. I thought I left my new friends, Dylan, Lily, Olivia, Fr.Phil, and others in a relatively safe place after progressing through more incredible twists than I thought possible. WRONG! I’m left wondering if this is truly the final book!! I will be picking up the books I missed ASAP and already picked up the first of the spin-off series, Mirror Estate Psychological Thrillers!
I am blown away by this book! If you like psychological thrillers. S.F. Baumgartner is a master!
I received a copy of the book from Celebrate Lit. I also pre-ordered my own copy. No positive review was required, and all opinions are my own.
Notable Quotables:
(Please note: these are not all life- inspiring!!)
“It’s not about faith. It’s about power, and power comes with wealth.”
“You know what will help?” “What?” “Pray. Let’s pray. You can just say what you want from the heart. Don’t worry about any prayers.”
“Don’t assume you’re safe just because you don’t see the threat.”
“Remember it’s not the medal itself, but the power comes from God.”
Welcome to the Takeover + Review Blitz for Some Like it Scot by Pepper Basham hosted by JustRead Publicity Tours!
About the Book
Title: Some Like it Scot Author: Pepper Basham Publisher: Thomas Nelson Release Date: April 8, 2025 Genre: Christian Contemporary Romance
She lives her life on the fly. His heart is double-knotted to home. Can two different souls create a life together?
Popular travel writer and podcaster Katie Campbell roams the world collecting other people’s stories. She’s built a career as “Miss Adventure,” known for saying yes to anything new–country, food, or experience–and predictably finding those adventures taking a downward turn into misadventures.
Offered the chance to explore her ancestral roots through a three-week Edwardian experience, Katie finds herself immersed in the beauty and eccentricity of Scotland. In her period attire, with traditional foods and activities, the opportunities for misadventures are endless, especially with the presence of a maniacal macaw, a jealous co-worker, and an all-too-surly Scotsman.
Reclusive and protective Graeme MacKerrow doesn’t venture far from his island home. A stoic Scotsman, Graeme’s comfort zone has always been family, and after his sister’s death, he’s even more determined to save the MacKerrow ancestral home and keep those he loves close. The sudden intrusion of a six-foot-one American lass, famous for her traveling misfortunes, was far from his plan.
As this world of folklore, community, and woodworkers-in-kilts tempts Katie to discover her own story, could this one grand series of misadventures lead her directly to where she belongs? And would a settled-in-Scot ever risk loosening his grip on what’s familiar to allow a wanderlust writer a home in his heart? How could their very different worlds share the same page of life’s story when “home” is in two very different places? But maybe home–and the future–isn’t quite what either one imagined it would be. Maybe home is less about a place . . . and more about a person.
Pepper Basham is an award-winning author who writes romance “peppered” with grace and humor. Writing both historical and contemporary novels, she loves to incorporate her native Appalachian culture and/or her unabashed adoration of the UK into her stories. She currently resides in the lovely mountains of Asheville, NC, where she is the wife of a fantastic pastor, the mom of five great kids, a speech-language pathologist, and a lover of chocolate, jazz, hats, and Jesus.
Connect with Pepper by visiting pepperdbasham.com to follow her on social media or subscribe to email newsletter updates.
My Impressions
“My value wasn’t measured by her behavior. Or my mistakes. It was measured by God’s love. A love I couldn’t out-fail. Ever.”
May I say this quote above made me cry as it is something I need to remember often, when my mind takes me places it doesn’t need to stay. Like Katie, I need to find my ultimate value in God, not what others may have said to me.
Hairy coos, puffins, a few exotic pets, an Edwardian Era adventure, an adorable ten-year-old, an American travel writer in Scotland, and a #hotScot!! Whew!! That’s a lot!! Mix them all up with a touch of faith, dependably but step-by-step guiding the characters through their choices and messes ( this *is* the social media phenomenon known as Miss Adventure for a reason),and we have a wonderfully endearing, humorous story that you will be sorry to close the book on.
Scotland, with its nearly constant (as I read it)mist or rain has never been high on my travel list. But Pepper Basham is so talented, that in Some Like it Scot, she could convince the biggest naysayer that Scotland has a rugged beauty that needs to be seen, smelled, and felt! Not to mention meeting the #hotScot! A totally infuriating, standoffish, confusing, and ultimately, just maybe attractive #hotScot !
With a dysfunctional family in her background, our heroine Katie is desperately searching for a sense of belonging and home. A conversation with her brother highlights this. “What if Scotland is the place you’ve been searching for?…Home, Katie. We’re all trying to find it.…Sometimes it’s a place. Sometimes it’s a person. Sometimes it’s both.”
When Katie finally realizes her sense of home, will she accept it, or will she attempt to run? ( We often recreate the familiar, even to our own hurt!)
Fave character? Obviously, the two main characters are the winners here. But Mirren, with her soul-piercing discernment and unconditional love has got to be a close second!! And the Highlander Coo! ( I must say that Moolatté is disappointed in this representation of her adorable breed!) Could it be, that animals, and people, have inward qualities that cannot be judged by outward appearances? Katie can see this as relates to the #hotScot, but she has difficulty understanding how others see her because of who God made her to be. Will she be free to be herself, or will she forever be trapped trying to conform to ghosts of impossible expectations? This is a hilarious, must-read book!!
I received a copy of the book from JustRead Tours via NetGalley. I also bought my own ecopy. ( But I need the pb- this is one for the keeper shelf!!) No positive review was required, and all opinions are my own.
Notable Quotables:
“Love lingers long.”- Mirren
“Graeme, it’s not about your hold on God. It’s about His hold on you.”- Greer
“When you know you’re loved, it changes everything.”
My Rating
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Superior!! (My version of six stars!) Who knew I could become a rom-com fan? Are you?
Tour Giveaway
(1) winner will receive a print copy of Some Like it Scot and hairy coo themed gift box!
(1) additional winner will receive a print copy of Some Like it Scot!
Be sure to check out each stop on the tour for more chances to win. Full tour schedule linked below. Giveaway began at midnight April 9, 2025 and lasts through 11:59 PM EST on April 16, 2025. Winner will be notified within 2 weeks of close of the giveaway and given 48 hours to respond or risk forfeiture of prize. US only. Void where prohibited by law or logistics.
Mariah Holzman never imagined a whiteout blizzard would sever all communication from the outside world—communication desperately needed for the injured man Mariah finds near her home. Nor did she imagine helping nurse the man back to health would lead to threats and intimidation. As danger escalates and questions rise, Mariah is left to wonder what kind of person she has allowed into her home.
Grant MacGuire never imagined he would wake up one day in a strange cabin, surrounded by strange people, with no memory of who he is or how he was injured. Nor did he imagine his presence would put the lives of those who saved him in danger. As Grant struggles with distorted memories, he wonders if his life is worth the price the Holzman family is paying.
The growing attraction between Mariah and Grant is hindered by Grant’s unknown identity. Is Grant, as the family’s neighbor assumes, a criminal on the run from the law? Or is there more to his identity—and the reason he was attacked—than they realize?
Penny Zeller is known for her heartfelt stories of faith-filled happily ever afters and her passion to impact lives for Christ through fiction. Her books feature tender romance, steady doses of humor, and memorable characters that stay with you long after the last page.
While she has had a love for writing since childhood, Penny began her adult writing career penning articles for national and regional publications on a wide variety of topics. Today Penny is a multi-published author of over two dozen books and is also a fitness instructor, loves the outdoors, and is a flower gardening addict. In her spare time, she enjoys camping, hiking, kayaking, biking, birdwatching, reading, running, and playing volleyball.
Penny resides with her husband and two daughters in small-town America and loves to connect with her readers.
More from Penny
Hello, Reader!
Thank you so much for joining us for the Forgotten Identity blog tour. Enjoy the sneak peek into the book below.
Blessings,
Penny
Mariah bit back a sigh as they neared. While grateful Nosy stopped when he did, couldn’t the dog have chosen another place to investigate besides the ravine that could be deadly if someone mis-stepped and fell into it? At least the handful of boulders near its edge warned of the ravine’s proximity.
Nosy’s barking turned to a whine as he pawed at the snow.
No, not just the snow.
The snow covering a shoe protruding from behind a large boulder.
She reached for her son, Jordan, and slowed both of their paces even as her pulse quickened. Maybe the object just looked like a gray tennis shoe. Or maybe it was a shoe, but a discarded shoe Nosy found somewhere, brought home, and forgot about until now.
Still…
“Jordan, stay where you are, please.”
“Aww, Mom.” Despite his protest, Jordan did as she requested.
Mariah advanced. Better be safe than sorry, and on the one percent chance this wasn’t a shoe found, forgotten, and rediscovered by Nosy, Jordan did not need to see whatever, or whomever, was attached to the shoe.
“Mom?”
“Just a minute, Jordan.”
A few seconds later, she saw an image she’d not soon forget.
Partially obstructed by the boulders and surrounding dormant foliage, a man’s body lay face up in the snow, dangerously close to falling over the side of the ravine.
My Impressions
“Lord, help me. Help me not be the man I think I am. Please.”
I knew Penny Zeller pens historical westerns, but before reading Forgotten Identity, I didn’t know she writes and excels at romantic suspense! Don’t miss this one, if you like romantic suspense!
What’s so great about this novel? So many elements. The first line, for starters. “Of all the days for the dog to run off.” Immediately, the reader feels sympathy for the overburdened heroine, Mariah Holtzman, and you want to see why it’s such an awful day.
I would be lying if I didn’t say that the children and the dog play an important part of the story. Zeller uses the children she creates for Mariah to show us Mariah’s character and George(Grant)’s as well. She also uses them for humor, and boy, do they come through!! The kids decide to call their rescued unidentified visitor, “George Washington.” Since Presley, 4, and Jordan, 7, like to talk to George, George asks Presley if she knows his last name. ( He can’t remember anything.) To which she replies, “You mean like I have three names. Presley Ann Holzman. Your three names are George Ann Washington.” “George Ann Washington?” The girl bobbed her head. “Yes. We will only use your second name for when you’re in trouble.” I was laughing up a storm, always glad when the children brought humor into the dangerous situation.
The story is very realistic. Mariah is a divorced, single mom, living with her mother and two young children. She edits books for a job, so she seems very relatable. A bad snowstorm occurs on the mountain, causing the cell and internet service to be lost, just about when Mariah and Jordan find George. Mariah’s and her mother’s cabin is totally isolated by the storm from town.
When various and threatening visitors come to their house looking for their “brother” or their “friend,” how long can Mariah hide their very sick visitor? Mariah’s neighbor is an ex-policeman, who is very suspicious of George as little details emerge. Who is George? Is he as dangerous as the people looking for him? Can he and Mariah guard their hearts until they know his true identity and character? A thrilling story till the end!
I especially loved the way that faith is ensconced in the story. I love the way George seems influenced by Mariah’s faith. I also love the way that in an impossible situation, God brings comfort to Mariah through His Word.
I received a copy of the book from Celebrate Lit. I also bought my own copy. No positive review was required, and all opinions are my own.
Notable Quotables:
“George compared his mind to a web of wires that had become unhooked from their power source.”
“His life was about to change and he knew not one ounce of what his future held. But God did. And he would have to rest in that, as difficult as it was.”
“What did people do without the Lord to get them through the crazy, evil times of the present culture?”
Book: Miss Blaire in Blackwell’s Island (Heiresses of Adventure Book One)
Author: Grace Hitchcock
Genre: Historical Romance True Crime
Release date: July 31, 2024
Will Edyth prove her sanity before it is too late?
On Blackwell’s Island, New York, a hospital was built to keep its patients from ever leaving.
With her late parents’ fortune under her uncle’s care until her twenty-fifth birthday in the year 1887, Edyth Blaire does not feel pressured to marry or to bow to society’s demands. She freely indulges in eccentric hobbies like fencing and riding her velocipede in her cycling costume about the city for all to see. Finding a loophole in the will, though, her uncle whisks Edyth off to the women’s lunatic asylum just weeks before her birthday. And Edyth fears she will never be found.
At the asylum she meets another inmate, who upon discovering Edyth’s plight, confesses that she is Nellie Bly, an undercover journalist for The World. Will either woman find a way to leave the terrifying island and reclaim her true self?
Grace Hitchcock is the award-winning author of multiple historical novels and novellas, including the American Royalty, Best Laid Plans, and Aprons & Veils series. She holds a Master’s in Creative Writing and a Bachelor of Arts in English with a minor in History. Grace lives on the Northshore of New Orleans, with her husband, Dakota, sons, and daughter in a cottage that is always filled with the sounds of sweet little footsteps running at full speed. When not writing, or chasing babies, she’s baking something delightful and can usually be found with a book clutched in her fist.
More from Grace
I am thrilled to share with you my FIRST novel in the HEIRESSES OF ADVENTURE series, MISS BLAIRE IN BLACKWELL’S ISLAND, which is set in New York City in 1887. I loved writing about Edyth Blaire, our cat-rescuing, spunky heroine who spends her days painting, fencing with her dreamy instructor, and avoiding society at all costs, which as you can imagine, comes back to haunt her before the end. I’ve never written about a character who despised reading, so that was a new one for me. Edyth just doesn’t like to sit still long enough to finish a book, but you’ll find out why later.
While writing this book, I am pretty certain the librarians at my local branch were wondering what in the world my hobbies are, judging from the stacks of fencing books for beginners, histories of New York crime in the 19th century, and Nellie Bly’s Ten Days in a Mad-House, and more.
The inspiration for this book came from Nellie Bly’s scandalous exposé for Joseph Pulitzer’s newspaper, The World. In reading Nellie’s articles, I was shocked at the grounds by which the asylum would commit women and that’s when I discovered a tiny mention about an heiress with family members who had her tucked away so they could have her fortune. . . and Edyth Blaire was born.
I hope you will enjoy reading about our eccentric leading lady and her fencing master hero, Raoul “Bane” Banebridge in this friends-to-lovers romance. If you are interested in seeing pictures of the asylum and to see what I pictured the characters looking like, check out my Pinterest board here.
Are you part of a book club? I have discussion questions here!
My Impressions
“… you are no longer an heiress. As far as the world is concerned, Edyth Blaire is dead.”
[Formerly released as The Gray Chamber : True Colors: Historical Stories of American Crime, published by Barbour Books in Jan of 2020]
Grace Hitchcock’s The Gray Chamber would probably win one of my “Sleeper of the Year” awards. “Heiress” sounds fun. Historical fiction sounds interesting. Nellie Bly story, ok, up for that. The first time I read this book, I did *not* bargain for a love in danger of being lost nor a trip to Blackwell’s Island, infamous in its time for housing *insane* women. If not for someone brave like the very real Nellie Bly, the atrocious treatment of insane and supposedly mentally ill people would have continued much longer in our country!The author’s notes at the end are a must!
When I read the novel this time, I found myself digging deeper. I still have to laugh at a lady with Edyth’s favorite pastime! ( En garde, n’importe qui?!)I was still amazed at the inhumane treatment on Blackwell’s Island. And the tension as we see what both money and love bring out of the inner hearts of people. More than a close friends to lovers/romantic suspense/chiller story, Hitchcock girds her main characters hearts with a faith that they cling to by recalling very appropriate Bible verses, encouraging each other, and ultimately, showing that their love is a reflection of the greater love of the True Great Shepherd. The ultimate love that conquers hate.
At first, we are immersed in an enjoyable turn-of-the-century account of Edyth and fencing master Raoul Banebridge. Edyth is dying to have her best friend Raoul “Bane” notice her as a woman, but her eccentricities seem to block his view. When finally he begins to see Edyth for the woman she is, her eccentricities have enabled other shocking developments, the stuff my nightmares are made of. It all makes perfect sense, and I could visualize it all happening. The evil mankind can perpetrate on another, made in the image of the same God!! Don’t miss this amazing, eye-opening story about a very true part of American history retold in a fictional, very memorable way!!
I received a copy of this book from the publisher via Celebrate Lit. No positive review was required, and all opinions are my own.
Notable Quotables:
“I fear that this is a rabbit hole we shall never escape from, don’t you?”– Nellie Brown/Bly
“Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.”
“I will wait, Lord. I will trust You.”
“This place has stripped away the layers of thick skin, and I am raw, for I have had no one and nothing to lean on here but the Lord.”
My Rating
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Magnificent!! Even better the second time around!!
Babbling Becky L’s Book Impressions 